Fertility problems

One in six couples have trouble conceiving a baby. Even couples without fertility issues have only a one in five chance of conceiving every month. You should consult with a doctor if you’ve been trying for a year without success. Women over 35 should seek help after six months.

The good news is that most couples receiving medical help to get pregnant go on to have a healthy baby. At Geisinger, we offer a wide range of fertility tests and treatments to help you conceive.

What you should know about fertility problems:

A third of the time, the woman has the fertility issue, and a third of the time, the man does. The rest of the time it’s due to a combination of both the man and woman, or for reasons that remain unknown.

The cause of male infertility is not known about 50 percent of the time. A woman’s risk of infertility increases with age, starting after her mid-30s. Other factors that increase a woman’s risk of infertility include:

Smoking.

Excessive alcohol use

Extreme weight gain or loss

Excessive stress

Why choose Geisinger for your fertility problem care?

Comprehensive fertility evaluation: The first step to moving past infertility is trying to pinpoint the cause. At Geisinger, we offer the most advanced testing and evaluation services. They include:

Hysterosalpingogram, or X-ray procedure, that checks for blockages and abnormalities in a woman’s uterine cavity and fallopian tubes

Sonohysterography, or special ultrasound, that looks for abnormalities in a woman’s uterus

Minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery, a procedure in which a doctor inserts a thin instrument (laparoscope) through a small incision in a woman’s abdomen to view and evaluate the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes and pelvic cavity

Wide range of treatment options: Our highly trained reproductive endocrinologists (doctors who focus on fertility problems) work with you to determine the best treatment options. Possible treatments include:

Medicine: We stimulate a woman’s egg production or egg release during ovulation.

Intra-uterine insemination (IUI): We place sperm into a woman’s uterus around the time of ovulation to increase the chance of pregnancy. This procedure is also known as artificial insemination.

In vitro fertilization (assisted reproductive technology): Eggs and sperm are grown together in a petri dish to produce an embryo. The embryo(s) is then placed inside the woman's uterus, to improve the probability of pregnancy. You can also use donor eggs or sperm for this procedure.